Telangana State has only 15 percent good forest area

Hyderabad: Telangana has only 15 per cent of good forest cover and 16 out of 33 districts of the State have less than 10 per cent of the forest cover.

According to the State Forest Department (SFD), the State has a total of about 26,864 square kilometres forest area, which is equal to 24 per cent of the total geographical areas of the State.

However, out of this 24 per cent of the forest area under the management of the State Forest Department (SFD) only 15 per cent of the area has good forest cover.

That apart, one-third of the total forest area of the State is located in two districts, namely, Jayashakar-Bhupalapally and Bhadradri- Kothagudem.

Only four districts Jayashankar- Bhupalapally, Bhadradri- Kothagudem, Nagarkurnool and Kumuram Bheem- Asifabad districts together account for more than 50 per cent of the total forest area.

Giving details of the sorry state of affairs, the SFD said that only five out of 33 districts have 40 per cent or more forest cover. While two districts have forest cover between 30.1 to 40 per cent, six districts have a forest cover between 20.1 to 30 per cent.

Similarly, four districts have forest cover ranging from 10.1 to 20 per cent. It was against this backdrop that the department has taken a three-pronged approach under the Telanganaku Haritha Haram (THH) programme.

As part of the measures launched, the department has started working on the rejuvenating the degraded forest, ensuring more protection of forests against smuggling, encroachments, forest fires and grazing, and intensive soil and moisture conservation measures following the watershed approach.

Speaking to The Hans India, a senior forest official said the target is to achieve 33 per cent green cover under THH programme.

Accordingly, the action plan includes, taking up extensive plantation outside the notified forests like roadsides, barren hills, tank foreshores and bund, canal bunds, institutional premises, housing colonies, farm bunds, community land and homesteads.

Further, increasing the canopy density and productivity inside the notified forests, especially in the degraded ones by taking up large scale plantations and assisting the natural regeneration, coupled with intensive water harvesting structures in the forests.

The plantation programmes are being implemented by involving various stakeholders, he said.